Hold the Mother

Fri Feb 24 2023|poetry

⁣But the mother,⁣ may have gaps in her mind from lack of sleep,⁣ may be mechanical in her motions as she’s healing,⁣ may feel more like a mess than a mother,⁣ may be sitting in bed, crying, feeling overwhelmed in her body and life,⁣ may be full of mom guilt because in her mind, "she's not good enough,"⁣ and she’s bleeding, wincing in pain, swollen and emotional.⁣ ⁣ And the mother’s that baby's whole world and needs to be seen, so she doesn't disappear into that postpartum fog.⁣ ⁣ So, hold the mother, not the baby.⁣ ⁣ A mother agrees that her baby matters more.⁣ But she’s hurting, while she’s the person behind the baby,⁣ in the background, making it all happen:⁣ feeding her baby at all hours,⁣ snuggling her baby close to comfort newborn cries,⁣ and being that baby’s everything.⁣ ⁣ So, it’s the mother who needs your love.⁣ ⁣ And a mother will remember who held her up.⁣ ⁣ So instead of “I’m coming to see the baby,”⁣ try saying, “I’m coming to see you 𝘢𝘯𝘥 meet the baby, too.”⁣ ⁣ Because the mother needs to be held more.

Author

Sriti Jha - Sharing the chaos and joys of motherhood